GPFans News (GPFans Global)

Red Bull and Aston Martin could potentially find themselves in hot water with the FIA as it is rumoured both teams breached last year's budget cap, Fernando Alonso believes Max Verstappen will lead the F1 field by over two seconds at Singapore on Friday as the two-time champion revealed a key strength the pair share and Pierre Gasly has revealed the cause of his dramatic pit lane fire during second practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.

The second half of the F1 season begins with this weekend's French Grand Prix as Max Verstappen looks to return to winning ways after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this year.

A new circuit, a title fight nearing its conclusion and an F1 legend remembered. Things are hotting up with two races to go, so here is what you can expect from the penultimate weekend of the season.

GPFans breaks down the opening weekend from the Formula 1 season in Bahrain, picking up the key points from the action on Sunday.

The big topic of conversation after the race in Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly the penalty Max Verstappen received. The Dutchman kept his opinion on the matter to himself, but everything indicates that he disagrees with it. In this GPFans Special, we take a closer look at similar moments from the past to see whether the FIA has been consistent.

Max Verstappen will start the Austrian Grand Prix on pole position after breezing to victory in a dramatic sprint. 

The reigning F1 world champion was briefly challenged by Carlos Sainz on the opening lap but eventually comfortably kept the Ferraris at bay to take the eight points on offer and extend his championship lead.

Lando Norris has dismissed suggestions that Daniel Ricciardo's struggles with McLaren were due to a car designed to suit the Briton.

Lewis Hamilton is not thinking about a potential win or podium for his Ferrari debut in Australia this weekend. All eyes will be on the Ferrari driver on Sunday, but the seven-time champion is simply hoping to get a top five finish under his belt.

Mercedes chief technical officer James Allison believes "more than just speed" will determine the championship fight with Red Bull.

Red Bull Racing, thanks to Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, has been very successful over the past 12 years with five world championships. Only Mercedes was more successful during that period. This is mainly due to owner Dietrich Mateschitz, owner of Red Bull Racing since 2004.

F1 returns to Europe for round six of the season in Spain and the first major upgrade window of the sport's new era.

Lewis Hamilton has predicted that the fastest teams in Formula 1 will continue to shift after the summer break, even as teams start to focus their development on the 2024 season. Meanwhile, Fred Vasseur has admitted that Ferrari took a shot in the dark at their setup for the Belgian Grand Prix, with heavily reduced running time due to the sprint weekend format and the wet track for the only free practice session.

Silverstone has offered British Grand Prix fans a humble apology and promised a "root-and-branch review" after unprecedented levels of demand for next year's race recently sparked ticket chaos while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has urged the FIA to provide a "safety net" to avoid a repeat of 2014's disparity.

Despite Ferrari’s hugely impressive one-two finish, the flash point of the US Grand Prix came with that lap 52 incident between Norris and Verstappen. The Briton overtaking the Dutchman off-piste gave him that controversial five-second penalty, but the FIA have now revealed in a statement that they’ve actually shown mercy with Norris, as the penalty could’ve been worse.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen is in "great shape" heading into the new F1 season.  Hitech GP has registered an interest in joining the F1 grid.

The FIA have updated their Sporting Code, and it has revealed much harsher penalties for F1 drivers who use explicit language in the form of hefty fines, suspensions and even the deduction of championship points.

It was a season spiced up by new aerodynamic regulations designed to deliver closer racing and more overtaking, and for the most part, it delivered. Unfortunately, the title race ultimately turned into a one-sided affair as Max Verstappen set a new record. GPFans counts down our top 10 drivers of the year.

Former F1 champion Damon Hill has suggested that Max Verstappen is not capable of racing fairly, following Verstappen’s latest clash with Lando Norris at the Mexico City Grand Prix. Verstappen was dealt a twenty-second penalty for repeatedly shoving Norris off the track on Sunday, and the Dutchman has been heavily criticised for his racing style since, with 1996’s world champion being the latest.

Red Bull finally managed to put a package together to challenge Mercedes and whilst the constructors' title proved to be a step too far, Max Verstappen ended the Silver Arrows' monopoly of the sport by taking the drivers' crown.

Toto Wolff suggested Mercedes made "all the mistakes we can make" during a disappointing Abu Dhabi season finale while Sebastian Vettel was left to rue Aston Martin's decision to take on a one-stop strategy as his F1 career ended with a points finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

F1 world champion Max Verstappen has revealed to receiving a text message from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff congratulating him on his triumph.

Stefano Domenicali believes the immediate success of Ferrari's 2022 package will be good for the sport and boost ticket sales "as in the old days".

Mattia Binotto has criticised outside perceptions of Ferrari's strategy calls this season which have cost the Scuderia on numerous occasions during grands prix while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has denied a new lightweight chassis was behind Max Verstappen's dominant performance at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Both Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have backed Formula 1 to become a more diverse sport with the Red Bull principle saying the team will back young emerging female talent behind the wheel while Wolff has insisted Mercedes will do whatever it can to increase diversity in F1, Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz has backed the FIA over its jewellery clampdown in F1 despite conceding he may have taken "a slightly different approach" and Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen face a wait of 'four or five races' for upgrades to the VF-22.

The F1 season has just come to an end but the actions on track is still going on.  Forget the Mercedes protests, forget Lewis Hamilton against Max Verstappen, forget even about Michael Masi for just a moment because it’s time for the young guns to have their go as the Young Driver test gets underway today.

On Wednesday their will also be a Pirelli test for 2022 as prototypes of the new cars for next year will be put on track to test next year’s tires for Pirelli.  Unfortunately for Haas and Williams, neither team will have a prototype on track on Wednesday due to Nikita Mazepin falling ill with Covid and the British constructor not yet ready with a version of their car for this week.

"No Kimi, you won't have the drink." A favourite moment for many Formula 1 fans. During the 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen's hydration system was disconnected, preventing him from accessing his beloved and much needed water. But how exactly does this system work, and why is it important?

Lewis Hamilton has warned any inaction by the FIA against breaches of the budget cap would lead him to question the integrity of F1.

Valtteri Bottas has revealed a 'computer-says-no' response from Mercedes when he and Lewis Hamilton often suggested set-up ideas during their time with the team while McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has reminded his F1 rivals they all voted in favour of the current safety car regulations so should support the FIA's application of the rules.

Guanyu Zhou will become the first Chinese driver to compete in F1 by joining Alfa Romeo for 2022.

Lewis Hamilton has claimed he 'doesn't care' if he fails to win another F1 race when addressing his "responsibility" to speak out on issues surrounding equality and inclusion.

Mercedes team principle Toto Wolff has criticised Red Bull rival Christian Horner for playing up to the Hollywood spectacle that F1 has become in front of the camera. 

Elsewhere Williams are admitting that they’ll be starting the 2022 Formula One season on the back foot, while F1 insist that money won’t be deciding the venues for sprint qualifying next season.

A rundown of what we saw in the desert on the final three days of testing before the start of the F1 season.

F1 race directors Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich have both tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the Miami Grand Prix and may be forced to miss the event, Grand Prix Drivers' Association director Sebastian Vettel has insisted there are "no big secrets" in a letter sent to F1 and the FIA and Alex Albon is confident Williams can make a step into the midfield once the FW44 has been fitted with upgrades.

Yuki Tsunoda is in contention to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing, but according to the Spanish branch Motorsport.com, it will be FRANCO COLAPINTO who will Tsunoda’s place at Racing Bulls SHOULD the Japanese driver get promoted.

Max Verstappen creates F1 history as the Dutch driver extends his lead in the drivers world championship, coming from 15th on the grid to win the Belgian Grand Prix while a irate Fernando Alonso has a costly tussle on lap one with former McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The FIA has formally announced the beginning of a "detailed analysis" into the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year and indicated any changes would be announced only at the first race of the 2022 season.

F1 returns to a revamped Albert Park this weekend for the first Australian Grand Prix since 2019. The Melbourne venue has undergone major restructuring since the last event in order to promote more exciting racing action and provide better overtaking opportunities, hopefully working hand-in-hand with F1's new regulations.

Newly elected FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has warned Lewis Hamilton will find "no forgiveness" from F1's governing body if his non-attendance of the prize-giving gala is deemed to have breached regulations.

Mercedes chief technical officer James Allison has labelled F1's new regulations for this year as being laced with "landmines" and "treasure".

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed to playing his part in the redesign of Melbourne's Albert Park that will be unveiled with the F1 return of this year's Australian Grand Prix.

Red Bull team principle Christian Horner holds no regrets over his conduct over the Qatar weekend, despite being called into the Stewards office on Sunday night following comments made before the race about their decision making over the previous two days. Toto Wolff wasn’t too far behind his rival after the race to throw in his two sentce on the matter calling Horner “naughty” despite being unaware of what actually transpired to get the red bull boss in trouble.

F1 champion Max Verstappen has levelled a dig at Mercedes' "ugly" revised version of its W13 and labelled it a "different way of working".

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has accused former race director Michael Masi and Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley of engaging in "a bromance" that cost Lewis Hamilton an eighth F1 title.

F1's technical bosses have vowed to look into ways to trim lap time if this year's new cars start to prove too quick.

According to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, the team has made breakthrough findings in the wrongs of the car following the Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull Racing will start producing its own power unit from 2026 onwards, but Max Verstappen does not expect it to be competitive straightaway.

Just days after Jack Doohan had his hard crash at Suzuka in FP2 of the Japanese Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto was seen testing for Alpine at Monza on Sunday.

Cadillac F1 advisor and former F1 champion Mario Andretti has confirmed that Sergio Pérez is very much an option for the team when it joins the F1 grid next year.

If you watch F1 or any motorsport really you’ll have heard of the FIA. But what is the FIA, what do they do, aside from rob lewis Hamilton of world championships according to some. We explain all.

Fastest penalty ever, 100 races for first podium - These are the records on the Formula 1 grid.

Pierre Gasly must fear a race ban for the next seven months. The Frenchman currently has ten penalty points to his name, the first of which does not expire until May. Twelve will result in a suspension for one race weekend. And with his impending move to Alpine, the question then arises whether the AlphaTauri driver would not be better off deliberately looking for those last two penalty points in Brazil.

With rumours circling about Sergio Pérez and how the Mexican is set to lose his drive at Red Bull Racing, we explain in this week's GPFans Special how it could be very difficult for Red Bull Racing to drop Pérez, and why it will be near-impossible to sack the Mexican completely.

The F1 teams are understood to be unhappy with the FIA following the release of the 2023 calendar, IndyCar star Graham Rahal has launched an extraordinary attack on F1 after Colton Herta was denied a super licence exemption to race in the sport from next season and Daniel Ricciardo has conceded he has "accepted" leaving the F1 grid at the end of the season.

Sergio Pérez admitted after crashing out of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he is uncertain over his direct future at Red Bull Racing. Perez crashed out of the season-ending race on the opening lap, when he came together with the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas.

There have been more rule changes made by the FIA ahead of the 2025 season. This time, they have done so to close what was dubbed as a loophole in the current regulations.

Christian Horner has revealed Daniel Ricciardo refused a "stratospheric" offer to keep him at Red Bull since when he feels the Australian has endured "a hard time" in F1.

Volkswagen appears set to give the go-ahead for Audi and Porsche to join the F1 grid.

Toto Wolff has suggested that Christian Horner wants F1 engine rules to change because perhaps ‘his engine programme is not coming along’. Meanwhile Carlos Sainz has accused Ferrari of failing to treat him as an equal with team-mate Charles Leclerc, after the Spaniard revealed that he felt "like a fool" with the team's strategy.

George Russell's race pace has been questioned ahead of the Briton embarking on his first season with Mercedes.

Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has backed FIA race director Michael Masi but claims the governing body was "slow" to recognise the size of the hole left by Charlie Whiting.

McLaren not being able to use their controversial rear wing in Las Vegas is the reason why they struggled as much as they did. At least, that is what Italian outlet AutoRacer, formerly known as Formula dot uno, have reported after investigating.

Toto Wolff has accused Valtteri Bottas of 'opening up the sea' for Max Verstappen on the run down to turn one in the Mexico City Grand Prix.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has dismissed speculation that seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton could retire from the sport ahead of the 2022 season. Aston Martin has confirmed CEO and team principal Otmar Szafnauer has left the Silverstone-based outfit.

Lando Norris has admitted that he is not performing at a good enough level in recent races, claiming that he quote “could not have feel more opposite so far” this year compared to last season when he especially excelled in qualifying.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto expects the Scuderia to receive a "good boost" from its upgrade package at the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes the championship battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc could 'go all the way' to Abu Dhabi and Williams has confirmed that Formula E world champion Nyck de Vries will replace Alex Albon for first practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez has backed Red Bull to "overcome" its reliability woes from the Bahrain Grand Prix after the team suffered a late-in-the-day double retirement.

This weekend’s Australian Grand Prix is currently forecast to be hit by heavy rain at the time of the race start on Sunday afternoon local time.

A special look at what reasons there are for driver receiving a grid penalty for a Formula One race. When and how they’re applied and when they aren’t applicable.

The departure of Adrian Newey did hurt Red Bull Racing somewhat, but the role of former chief designer Rob Marshall has been somewhat overlooked. Marshall joined McLaren in 2024, and the team from Woking managed to claim the constructors' title last year for the first time in 26 years. Does Marshall's departure hurt Red Bull more than we think?

Like him or hate him, Max Verstappen has had a major impact on the sport in various areas since his debut in Formula 1. From a minimum age, to the so-called 'Verstappen rule.'

George Russell and Max Verstappen were involved in quite a media war at the end of last year during the Qatar Grand Prix. The Dutchman said he “lost all respect” for Russell, and that the Briton is a completely different person in front of the cameras compared to behind the scenes. This sparked a fierce exchange of words between the two, and clearly, Russell still holds firm on his beliefs from then.

Multiple sources in the international media have all reported today that Sergio Pérez is set to leave Red Bull Racing at the end of the season. ESPN, The Race and Motorsport.com among others all report that the Mexican will leave the team after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has joked he would have "f**ked the whole paddock" for points last year after Kevin Magnussen scored for the second consecutive weekend. 

Mercedes are only taking baby steps when it comes to developing their W13 according to George Russell as the team once again struggled for pace at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Nyck de Vries was fired by AlphaTauri last Tuesday after ten races in the 2023 Formula 1 season, his first season in the premier class. Daniel Ricciardo will be his replacement from the Hungarian Grand Prix. For De Vries, this means that he has to look for something else. What are the options?

Max Verstappen delivered the most crucial pole position of his F1 career to stun Lewis Hamilton ahead of the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has admitted that promoting Liam Lawson to Red Bull Racing in the first place was a mistake from the team.

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has conceded he "wouldn't be surprised" if the team's current driver debacle has been caused by the sharing of information while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has conceded that until F1 is able 'address the economics' of adding an additional team to the grid, Michael Andretti's bid is unlikely to progress.

Martin Brundle is 'saddened' by Max Verstappen's recent driving conduct after another controversial battle with Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Meanwhile Former F1 championship runner-up David Coulthard has suggested Lewis Hamilton was to blame for his bizarre collision with Max Verstappen.

Honda has left Formula 1, but will continue to supply turn-key engines to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri until the end of 2025.   

This is of course a turn around from what was planned as it was thought the constructor would take their power sourcing in house for 2022. Honda is leaving, but seems to continue to do all the hard work in the coming years. So what’s it all about?

Red Bull is set to continue to receive a supply of power units direct from Honda for the next four years following what has been described as a "rethinking" of plans by the Japanese manufacturer.  

The FIA has not ruled out the possibility under-fire Michael Masi could lose his role as race director ahead of the new F1 season.

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen has committed his future to Red Bull with a new mega-money deal, GPFans understands.

Motorsport UK has imposed a ban on Russian and Belarusian licensed competitors from participating in UK events, meaning Nikita Mazepin will miss the British Grand Prix.

Red Bull have seen a lot of technical staff leaving the team in recent times. Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley already left in August to join the new Audi project, and more famously, Adrian Newey has decided to leave the team to start a new adventure at Aston Martin.

Sergio Perez is '100 per cent focused' on winning world titles after securing a new contract with "perfect match" Red Bull, former F1 champion Damon Hill has claimed that Lando Norris has "ended" his McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has claimed that the Scuderia's objective for the season is to "be competitive, not to win the world championship".

Max Verstappen has denounced the "sickening", "disgusting" and "unacceptable" character assassination of himself and the targeted abuse of his relatives in the aftermath of the Red Bull team order furore in Brazil.

Bernie Ecclestone has questioned the extent of the pain suffered by Lewis Hamilton as a result of porpoising at recent F1 grands prix while F1 has declared itself "racing towards" its target of being net-zero carbon by 2030, with new branding highlighting its push on show from this weekend's British Grand Prix.

The recent announcement of the Las Vegas Grand Prix as F1 continues to build its presence in the United States has thrust the sport even more firmly into the spotlight. The new race has captured the imagination, adding to a bustling list of circuits around the world on the calendar but as more and more interest in joining that roster is created, historic races are put at risk. The name that has been singled out since the announcement is Monaco, given its relation to Las Vegas with regard to its exclusivity and setting in amongst wealthy hotels and casinos.

Mercedes has decided not to appeal the decision of the Abu Dhabi stewards who had dismissed the team's protest against Max Verstappen's victory in the controversial F1 championship finale.

F1 is set to add a third race in the United States to its 2023 calendar with the return of Las Vegas, GPFans can confirm.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has conceded to deeply regretting his war of words with Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner during last year's explosive F1 season.

Max Verstappen has made history. After an almost flawless season of maximizing time and again, he has won the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi. With this, the Dutchman puts an end to the long-standing dominance of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. So let's take a look back at the career of the new World Champion.

Max Verstappen has accused Sky Sports F1 of being "disrespectful" and helping to fuel a "very toxic" social media while Lewis Hamilton believes Red Bull had the better tyre strategy after finishing second at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso has likened his struggles with Alpine to the misery endured when he drove a Honda-powered McLaren while Sergio Pérez has conceded the Mexico City Grand Prix fans were "intense" but insisted his countrymen "will never hurt anyone" after fears grew over driver security.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has 'thanked the racing gods' for delivering the "miracle" Max Verstappen needed to clinch the F1 world championship title.

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he picked up damage on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix despite not making contact with another car, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed debris caused Sergio Perez's spectacular smoking brakes in the early stages of the Italian Grand Prix and Sebastian Vettel will return to the Race of Champions in his first racing appearance after his F1 retirement.

Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess has confirmed Audi and Porsche will enter F1 in 2026 as Christian Horner believes Red Bull has "demonstrated" the team's reliability woes are in the past after a strong recent showing at Imola.

George Russell says it’s about time that somebody properly challenges Max Verstappen for a title, and he hopes it will be him.

Max Verstappen has criticised F1 for banning Nelson Piquet after the Brazilian used a racial slur when describing Lewis Hamiton.

Lewis Hamilton has declared he will race in this weekend's British Grand Prix despite again failing to have his nose stud removed.

Lewis Hamilton dazzled under the lights ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but practice ended early following a heavy shunt from Charles Leclerc that destroyed his Ferrari. Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski has warned drivers could sustain injury with a crash at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix given the venue's profile.

Max Verstappen held off a charging Lewis Hamilton to claim a crucial United States Grand Prix victory in the battle for this year's F1 title.  Watched by a staggering crowd of around 160,000 at the Circuit of the Americas- with 400,000 across the three days - they were treated to a captivating battle between the two title protagonists that ebbed and flowed over the 56 laps.

We take a look at the career of Formula 1 new boy, Oscar Piastri. Looking at his initial start in the motor racing and how he worked his way through the ranks to become Alpine’s third man for the upcoming 2022 season.

The MCL38’s front wings were already deemed legal by the FIA earlier this month after complaints from Red Bull and Ferrari, but now, attention has turned to the other side of the car, and its already infamous mini-DRS.

Lewis Hamilton has stated he "won't miss" the 2022 F1 season after enduring a career-worst campaign while Fernando Alonso was left thrilled after making his Aston Martin debut despite "feeling pain in different places".

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed the "unconventional" routes taken to speed up the development of the W13 this season. Meanwhile Charles Leclerc is adamant that the Ferrari team of this season is far removed from the outfit that has failed to take an F1 world championship since 2008.

Sergio Perez has signed a new two-year contract with Red Bull, Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel has slated Pirelli's extreme wet tyres as "basically useless" after drivers struggled with grip at the Monaco Grand Prix and Fernando Alonso has dismissed criticism of his driving at the Monaco Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton as 'not my problem'.

Max Verstappen overcame a tough challenge from Mercedes to clinch victory at the Dutch Grand Prix but Lewis Hamilton was left furious with the Silver Arrows' strategy team. But Toto Wolff has backed Mercedes risk with Lewis Hamilton by claiming the team would have been "screwed" had it not taken the risk.